793.94/8254
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Hornbeck)
The British Chargé called by appointment and stated that he had received instructions to inform the Department of the report which [Page 342] the British Ambassador at Tokyo had made to the British Government in regard to the British Ambassador’s conversation on October 1 with the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs and to say that the British Government felt that the “time for concerted action had not yet arrived”. The Chargé then proceeded to read the report of the British Ambassador’s conversation with the Japanese Foreign Minister which may be summarized as follows:
On October 1 the British Ambassador called on the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs and referred to a previous conversation wherein the British Ambassador had said that the British Government would, he was sure, without in any way attempting to act as mediator in the Sino-Japanese situation, be glad to impress upon the Chinese Government the danger of anti-Japanese incidents in China. The British Ambassador then said that he wished to inform the Japanese Foreign Minister, under instruction, that the British Government desired to see Sino-Japanese relations established on a peaceful basis and that the British Ambassador in China was speaking to the Chinese Government in regard to attacks on Japanese nationals in China. Continuing, the British Ambassador said that, speaking personally, he wished to point out to the Foreign Minister that if the Japanese pressed the Chinese too hard the Japanese would force the Chinese to resist. The Foreign Minister said that the Japanese Army realized that the Chinese might possibly offer armed resistance as well as the danger of pushing the Chinese too far. The Foreign Minister commented that the part of the Kuomintang in which Feng Yu-hsiang was outstanding, which part had communistic tendencies, was a dangerous factor in the situation and responsible for much of the anti-Japanese agitation in China. The British Ambassador then remarked that in view of these factors it would seem that the Japanese Government would not wish to press Chiang Kai-shek too hard. The Foreign Minister then referred to Chang Hsueh-liang and said that this general was very active in anti-Japanese agitation. The British Ambassador commented that one could hardly blame a defeated Chinese general for attempting to “save his face” by now being active in anti-Japanese agitation; also that there were usually two sides to every quarrel. The Foreign Minister replied “somewhat ominously” that “the Japanese could not be expected to give consideration to the Chinese point of view.” The Foreign Minister said that Japan was determined to make North China safe for “Manchukuo”. He denied that Japan’s proposal with regard to North China provided for separate customs and separate currency for North China. He also said that Japan’s proposals were not unconditional demands but were subject to discussion. The British Ambassador requested that the Japanese give no publicity to his call on the Japanese Foreign Minister and the Japanese Foreign [Page 343] Minister in turn requested that the Chinese Government not be informed of the British Ambassador’s approach to the Japanese Foreign Minister.
Mr. Hornbeck said that he would like to have Mr. Hamilton hear the substance of the information which the British Chargé was communicating and upon Mr. Hamilton’s entry the Chargé read again the substance of the cablegram which he had received from the British Foreign Office.
Mr. Hornbeck then handed the British Chargé the Department’s aide-mémoire of October 6,32 informing the British Embassy of the interchange of communications between the American Embassy at Tokyo and the Department subsequent to the morning of October 3. Mr. Hornbeck also handed to the Chargé, to read, Tokyo’s telegram No. 206, October 6, 3 p.m.
There then followed a brief discussion of the general situation, wherein Mr. Hornbeck commented that it seemed apparent that the Japanese Government wished to keep from the Japanese people the fact that representations, even of a very informal character, had been made by the British and the American Governments; that it might be just as well that the Japanese Foreign Office was taking this attitude; and that the record revealed that the Japanese Government had made to the Chinese Government certain proposals or demands which it did not intend to reveal to the British or to the American Governments. When the Chargé asked whether it would seem that the control of the military in Japan was lessening, Mr. Hornbeck replied in the negative.
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